Friday, December 18, 2009

Leading The World

After snagging an impressive ten Fossil Of The Day awards, Canada has managed to attain the prestigious "Colossal Fossil" designation in Copenhagen. Canada wins Fossil of the Year, for the second year in a row.:

“Fossil of the Year goes to CANADA, for bringing a totally unacceptable position into Copenhagen and refusing to strengthen it one bit. Canada’s 2020 target is among the worst in the industrialized world, and leaked cabinet documents revealed that the governments is contemplating a cap-and-trade plan so weak that it would put even that target out of reach.

“Canada has made zero progress here on financing, offering nothing for the short term or the long term beyond vague platitudes. And in last night’s high-level segment, Canada’s environment minister gave a speech so lame that it didn’t include a single target, number or reference to the science.

“Canada’s performance here in Copenhagen builds on two years of delay, obstruction and total inaction. This government thinks there’s a choice between environment and economy, and for them, tar sands beats climate every time. Canada’s emissions are headed nowhere but up. For all this and more, we name Canada the Colossal Fossil.”

Maybe more impressive, Canada has built on last year's tally. We shared first place with George Bush, which was a marked improvement in its own right. This year however, we're the clear leader, we have no peer, the Harper government cementing itself as the worst environmental government in Canadian history(quite a feat, considering others apparently did "absolutely nothing"- less than nothing, defying mathematics too, congrats!!)

In all seriousness, this performance in Copenhagen, represents a watershed moment for Canada, our international standing NEVER lower. By all accounts, Canada was "polite" behind the scenes, but offered nothing of substance, a non-factor throughout. Harper in hiding, nobody attending the Prentice speech, Obama not even bothering, the public embarrassment, a complete and telling picture of a BIT PLAYER, USELESS to the proceedings.

Canada has ceded any influence at the United Nations, on a host of issues. Canada has mangled international relations. Canada hasn't shown LEADERSHIP on any issue, Harper has reduced us to an afterthought. The Harper agenda here, try and get out alive, with the least possible political fallout.

It is so entirely disappointing, witnessing my country voluntarily reducing itself to the margins. We are doing lasting damage, our role as active participant is tarnished, we appear a FARCE, don't kid yourself apologists.

9 comments:

I saw the ceremony on TV and it has me a bit concerned. They used Tim Horton's logos as props to ridicule Harper. I can just see the Conservative reaction. "Those damn hippies hate the people who work hard, play by the rules and go to Tim Horton's. Vote Conservative to piss them off!!!" It is what they do.

You forget the Conservatives are the masters of narrowcasting. They couldn't care less what anyone but the 33 to 35% of voters who are their base think (or mostly don't think). This will be turned into another "We are the victims" moment that the base loves to wallow in. It makes me sick to my stomach, but It is almost guaranteed.

Unfortunately, Greg's point shouldn't be completely tossed out. The CONs are all about shifting blame, misleading and blatant lying so they've probably got the spin on this ready in their war room, all ready for the crap canwest and sun people to echo throughout the land. And is there any government in Canadian history that loves to marginalize its citizens more than this one? So the key from a Liberal (or opposition) standpoint is how do we convert this auspicious continuance of deplorable behaviour into a palatable message...

They can spin climate denial any way they want, but when you combine that with the unfolding disaster of the Afghanistan file, methinks the beast beast with the seven heads has been mortally, morally and spiritually wounded. It's all too shoddy, too much of a muchness, all their sins are coming home to roost. If Ignatieff can harness the power of the vision quest the Libs are about to embark on, things may well improve. To me, it's unfortunate that the Libs embrace cap and trade however, now that light is beginning to shine on that subject, a simple tax measure versus an international administrative agency combined with a carbon-trading market that will in essence be a giant scam run by Wall Street & Co. is painting us into a deeply troubling corner.